As new types of wireless communication devices and new communication services are designed, additional bandwidth must be found in order to implement these devices and service. One method used to fit them into the existing frequency spectrum is to use increasingly higher frequencies.
One of the problems of using higher frequencies is the increased noise problem on printed circuit boards if circuits are not properly shielded. One way that noise can be reduced on printed circuit boards with a radio frequency (RF) connector is to position the end of the conductor flush with the ground plane on the surface of the printed circuit board. An external shield is placed over the center conductor. The shield is then soldered to the backplane of the printed circuit board or bolted to the plate.
This method, however, requires manual labor, external hardware, as well as additional printed circuit board space. All of these problems add additional cost to the price of the component. There is a resulting need in the art for a more economical apparatus and method for shielding radio frequencies on printed circuit boards.